Cavin Q&A: The early pick to win Indy

Question: With regard to teams not signing American drivers, I had a conversation last fall with a race fan friend, and I talked about how great of an IndyCar season it was and how great the 500 was. He agreed but said he could name more drivers from the 1980 500 than in 2013. That not only hurt, it's true. How do we get American drivers? Also, IndyCar needs larger car numbers. (Duke, Peotone, Ill.)

Answer: I'm obviously supportive of larger numbers, that that won't cure much because even I have to think about how the numbers associate with the drivers. For example, Graham Rahal was No. 15 all of last year and I still have to think about it. There are a few that come to me immediately: Dixon in the 9, Sato in the 14, Helio in the 3, Power in the 12, but that's not too far from it. I tend to associate numbers with teams more than the drivers specifically, and largely that's a function of IndyCar's turnover. As for getting more Americans in the series, it's all a question of money and then opportunity. Teams have to have the dough to feel secure enough to hire the driver, and the driver has to be attracted to the financial benefits of IndyCar. Realistically, how many IndyCar drivers have bank accounts that look like even the second-tier NASCAR drivers? I'd guess Franchitti and Helio for sure, and that's probably it.

Question: I love the Mt. Rushmore conversation because there really is no right answer (other than Foyt and Mario). One of the problems is our limited memories. Also, for me, the 500 is IndyCar. So, I think the conversation has to include Wilbur Shaw, Lou Meyer, Mauri Rose, Bill Vukovich, and then maybe Rex Mays and Ted Horn. Then we can talk about Jim Clark and Dan Gurney. Oh, there is some guy named Rutherford. I know the real Mt. Rushmore has 4 faces. Maybe we need more mountains. From my personal experience, I have always felt that the five best drivers I got to see in person are Foyt, Andretti, Jones, Clark, Mears and Al Unser. I know, that's six, but this is just for fun, right. (Jim, Indianapolis)

Answer: Doing an Indy 500 list is much easier: Foyt, Big Al, Mears and Wilbur Shaw for what he did after he quit driving. Probably more than even Tony Hulman, he probably saved the Speedway, plus he won the race three times. After that, it's Vukovich, Bobby U., Parnelli, Clark and then maybe Rutherford.

Question: I am glad you agree that the team hiring practice of bringing in "whodat" drivers is a symptom of the IndyCar flawed business model. Your comments reminded me of what Tony George was trying to do way back when. Maybe he was more of a visionary than he gets credit for. I don't think IndyCar will show much if any improvement in fan growth until it addresses its perceived driver talent drought. Your thoughts? (Joseph, Mountain Lakes, N.J.)

Answer: I think the attractiveness of the driver lineup to mainstream America is IndyCar's bigger issue. The good news is, it's the quickest fix. Hire some guys like Kyle Larson, Chad Boat, Conor Daly and other young guns and see what happens. I also think it will help if Graham and Marco ever start being top-of-the-field competitive, which could happen soon. I know the Honda is an unknown heading to Indy, but if it's even close to Chevrolet I'm picking Marco to win the 500. He's due, and I just told him that. I also think he has the opportunity to elevate the sport as a 500 winner. He has the name, he's cooler than most of us realize, and he's connected to the "in" crowd. All of that is good.